Thomas Holopainen studied biology before a career in music came calling, but never forgot his passion for the subject, or his admiration for the evolutionary biologist
The frequency with which Mallavora have been popping up across the alt.metal landscape of late would suggest a band with their legs firmly under the table, and a grocery list of material to be spewing out on festival stages, European tours and even on TV. So to be reminded that What If Better Never Comes? is in fact their debut album already sets the quartet apart.
Fronted by the phenomenal Jessica Douek, theirs is a sound that blends her own Jewish-Middle Eastern roots with metalcore, R&B and soul to create an intoxicatingly crushing mix. After a dark and brooding prologue, Smile kicks the walls down in earnest, doling out hypnotically-sung verses and guttural choruses.
Waste follows a similar formula, with Jessica playing her crystalline cleans and demonic roars off against each other, on a bed of djent-tinged metalcore riffs and thunderous rhythms. Lilith & Esther displayed the most intriguing snapshot of the album when released as a single, and it’s great to see the themes expanded on throughout the record, even if it does feel like they’ve found a certain formula to stick to.
Hopeless introduces a softer, more measured approach that adds an affecting feather to Mallavora’s cap, heard again later on Make The World Wait and album closer Host. Positioned as palette cleansers, these tracks can feel at odds with those that come before and after, but beyond the issue of sequencing, they reveal another sound that should stay in their repertoire.
Lyrically, Mallavora shoots from the hip, making the topics on the album hard to misconstrue. Smile is all about Jessica’s life with fibromyalgia and calls for the disabled population to not be cast aside. ’Time to have the conversation, Access is a human right, Unrestricted liberation,’ she barks out in exasperation.
All told, What If Better Never Comes? reveals Mallavora as ones to watch in an already bustling alt.metal crowd, and beyond the odd teething issues, is full of promise. You can bet your bottom dollar that their best is yet to come.
Exploring Birdsong have announced the details of their long-awaited debut full-length, set to arrive this Summer.
Photo by Luke Tatlock
It will be titled ‘Every House We Built’ and will be released on June 26 via Long Branch Records.
The artwork looks like this:
Whilst the tracklisting is a little like this:
1. Archipelago 2. 42 3. Romanticise 4. Footprints 5. Arrhythmia 6. Spy In The House Of Love 7. I_You 8. The Warning 9. You Like it Best When It Hurts 10. Cartography 11. Every House We Built 12. Meadowlands
Following on from the release of ‘42‘ and ‘Romanticise’, the band have now shared ‘You Like It Best When It Hurts’, and it shows off yet another shade that the record will inhabit.
A beautifully considered blend of billowing synths and crushing breakdowns, it demonstrates how the trio are happy to make things heavy when the time is right. And when it comes to a song steeped in as much frustration as this is, it’s only right that they flex a fresh muscle.
Vocalist Lynsey Ward had this to say about it, explaining, “You Like It Best… actually began its life as a completely different song, but easily found a way to take the shape that it has now. For as long as we’ve been a band we’ve been proud that our sound has such broad shoulders, so we felt we could really push our influences from heavy music out into the open with this one and create the heaviest Birdsong music to date. Lyrically, it is written about observing a type of person that we have all come across- self-sabotaging and self destructive almost to the point where it seems that they can’t -or don’t want to- break the cycle. More new territory for us, as we’re now equipped to convey anger and aggression convincingly-it felt completely natural to write a bit of a love letter to heavy music whilst channeling our own frustrations.”
The band will be heading out on the road for a string of headline shows later this year. Here’s where you will be able to catch them.
SEPTEMBER
23 – GLASGOW Classic Grand 24 – LONDON Islington Assembly Hall 25 – BRISTOL Strange Brew 26 – MANCHESTER Gorilla
British rock act Inglorious are pleased to announce a very special one off show in 2026. For one night only the original line-up will be reforming to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their debut album ‘Inglorious‘. The band will play the debut album in full in addition to more tracks from their catalogue. The show […]
Mention of Norway and metal extremity would take most people to Black Metal, to church burnings and to all that unpleasantness in August 1993. Yet the country is home to more diverse takes on the extremes of music and doom death outfit, Miserate, is here to show Norwegian heavy metal doesn’t begin and end with corpse paint and Satan.
Gathering together five seasoned members of the country’s underground music scene, Miserate may be a new name, but the component parts can boast experience with the likes of Feather & Doom, Funeral, To Cast a Stone and The Black Lotus Project, among others. Their journey into melancholy began back in 2024 with the debut EP A Ritual of Doom and is followed by this sophomore platter, Weaver of Witchery.
It’s four tracks of misery made by a group of musicians inspired by the crushing doom of Peaceville Records’ early Nineties roster. Formative records from the likes of Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Anathema and Katatonia may be a world away from how some of those bands sound today, but the icy doom-laden riffs and gothic atmosphere was a welcome relief from the morass of mediocrity brought about by the Seattle Invasion of the time.
From the outset, it’s clear Miserate know their onions. Grip of Winter arrives with huge cascading guitars courtesy of Marcus Granlien and Kristian Sigland, who had worked together on The Black Lotus Project as far back as 2010. The atmosphere created is as icy as any of the nation’s blackest metals, its grim bleakness adding an extra layer of darkness and despondence.
The EP’s title track is a little more upbeat, more in the vein of Novembers Doom or early Swallow the Sun, while still maintaining the raw and sometimes demonic. Reverb-heavy guitars colour the closing moments, competing with the sound of lashing rain. Behind the Veil of Death slows the pace into an imposing monument to misery. A mid-song descent into melancholy almost reaches a point of singularity and the journey out is hard and fraught. To Cast a Shadow drummer, Kent Helset, hammers the kit like he’s creating an Orc army in the depths of Mordor; Shraphead bassist Will Fossheim is unsung in his bridging of the gap between guitars and percussion.
Final track, The Endless Light / Hindenburg begins with an ancient scene, as though dawn was breaking over a perfectly still lake. Musically it’s cold and atmospheric, with haunting guitars, leading to a crushing conclusion. Gothic elements give way to a hypnotic, even psychedelic, close, making you wander where those twenty-four minutes have gone?
Miserate play Weaver of Witchery to perfection: all the elements that make a successful doom death record are here and are laid out by a group of musicians who not only understand their assignment but have an abiding passion for the material. Vocalist Kenneth O. Grimelid voices the record with the prescribed combinations of guttural growls and tortured cries, morosely narrating the voyage through misery.
Engineered by Karl Daniel Lidén, who’s also worked on projects by Draconian, Bloodbath and Katatonia gives you an idea of the quality involved in Weaver of Witchery. The slow, heavy riffs and overwhelming melancholy come front and centre as Miserate announce themselves as a new and exciting voice in modern doom death.
Welsh ragga Metal titans Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Joining Skindred for select dates are nu-Metal favourites Alien Ant Farm, alongside Spineshank and Orgy. These bands will appear at the Alexandra Palace show and Birmingham date, with additional support acts to be announced.
“We wanted to do something really special to support the release of our new album You Got This,” Arya Goggins, Skindred drummer, said. “After touring with our friends Alien Ant Farm in Europe last year, we had to bring them to the UK to join the Skindred party.
“Halloween is always such a special night, for both us and our fans, so this year our annual Night of the Living Dred show will be its biggest ever at London’s Alexandra Palace.
“Along with Alien Ant Farm, we have Spineshank and Orgy joining us. It’s going to be a really special night with loads of surprises.”
October
Rock City, Nottingham8 Talbot St, Nottingham, NG1 5GG
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Pre-sale begins 26 March at 10am, with general sale from 27 March via LiveNation and Skindred’s official website.
You Got This marks the band’s ninth studio album, packed with hard-hitting anthems, infectious hooks and genre-blending energy that continues to define their place in Heavy Metal.
